My Imperfect Creation
by Pagen Godess
Summary: Howard wasn't just obsessed with finding Steve, he was obsessed with replicating Erskine's serum, because he was convinced the world needed Captain America. Most of his attempts were tested on volunteers, but he became convinced that they were inferior people and the only successful subject would be his own son.
1. Chapter 1

Be warned that this chapter makes mention of various failed experiments. No graphic description is give but be warned all the same.

 **Prolouge**

 _October 31 1973_

 _The first five test subjects for the newly remade Super Soldier Serum arrived in the lad today. While unable to completely reconstruct Erskine's serum from his notes we have high hopes that one of our test subjects might just be the next Captain America. A figure that the country sorely needs right now._

 _I'm not quite certain if Captain Rogers would approve of our research but he gave up any rights he had to complain when he sank Red Skull's plain in the ocean. An ocean that I have yet as of yet been able to locate him in._

 _November 8 1973_

 _Our first batch of test subjects were all failures. While our confidence is shaken we're more than ready to try again. We believe that smaller doses of serum over a period of a few weeks may provide better results than a single large dose._

 _Note: Bring in female subjects._

 _February 6 1974_

 _Smaller doses have so far proven just as deadly as larger doses. No test subjects have survived. We are considering looking into subjects with illness or disabilities._

 _No subject so far has lasted longer than a few days after serum injection._

 _Note: I'm returning to the Artic after this batch of tests. Both to search for Steve and to give Erskine's notes another look over. Perhaps there's something I missed. Perhaps that's why none so far have been gifted with perfection._

 _May 16 1974_

 _Serum trial 97 ended in failure. Subject was middle aged terminally ill female. Subject died fifteen minutes after injection and exposure to minimum level of Vita Rays. Subject 97's heart worked itself to death. Next trial to take place in two weeks._

 _Note to self: All subjects so far have been adults with varies maladies. All were thought to be good people. None apparently were sick enough or good enough to become the next Captain America._

 _Perhaps the next batch of subjects should be younger. It is possible that Erskine's Serum cannot effect a body that is no longer changing. Roger's was in his early twenties when he was chosen. His body stunted but still changing due to several illnesses and physical defects. Change age group from middle aged to young adults 18-30 years of age._

 _June 13 1974_

 _Serum test 151 failed. Subject lasted almost two weeks before his body couldn't function anymore. He suffered sever stomach pains, migraines, and extreme sensitivity from injection till death. This is our last test on a subject between ages 18 and 30._

 _We've come to the conclusion that the body in question must till be growing for the serum to take effect. An adult body has settled too much and rejects the serum. Sometimes the process is quick and sometimes the process is slow but the body always rejects the serum. A growing body however might just be able to grow along with the serum. Given a few weeks the body could adjust and the serum would begin taking effect._

 _To do this however we'd need a child between the age of 3 and 13. Finding test subjects for this round of testing might be more difficult than we think. What parent after all is going to let their child take part in this kind of testing_

 _July 21 1974_

 _It's been over a month and still no subjects to test on. We are not yet desperate enough to begin pulling children off of the streets or God forbid buying one off of the Black Market._

 _July 26 1974_

 _As it turns out I've been a fool this entire time. Why go looking for a parent willing to turn their child into a test subject when I have a four year old son at home? Tests will begin as soon as his mother leaves for whatever charity it is she's spending money on this month._

 _August 1 1974_

 _Gave Tony what is to be the first of many serum injections today. We didn't even have to go down to the lab. All I had to do was tell him he was getting a shot so he wouldn't get sick and he sat through the whole thing. My son didn't even wince when the needle pierced his skin. I have high hopes for this trial._

 _August 16 1974_

 _Three shots in and so far nothing. While we had hoped for signs of progress at this point none have shown. That's fine. Things might just be taking longer than we expected._

 _Note: Up the dosage for the next injection._

 _November 7 1974_

 _Twelve injections in and finally we're starting to see results. For the past week Tony's been dropping things unable to keep his on most of the things he picks up. His hands and arms shake slightly when he's still and not holding anything. We've come to the conclusion that this may just be the serum beginning to take effect at last._

 _We'll continue to increase the dosage of serum given with each new shot. With some luck the serum will have taken hold by the time the injections are finished. By the time my son's grown he may just be the next Captain America._

oOo oOo oOo

Tony frowned as he lifted his cup off of the table to take a drink. He didn't like that he couldn't keep his arms from shaking all the time. He didn't like the Sippy cup he had to drink out of either or the Velcro on his shoes. He knew how to tie his shoes! He didn't need Velcro. Just because his hands shook so bad that it took him awhile to get the knots done didn't mean that he didn't know what he was doing.

He didn't need Velcro and he didn't need a Sippy cup and he hated that his hands shook so much that he needed either! Most of all though he hated that his mom had insisted on taking his tools away because she was scared he'd hurt himself. Tony hadn't told her that he'd been burning his fingers for weeks already and he wasn't bothered by it. The burns healed in a few days anyways, so why should it matter if he was hurting himself. He had work to do and he couldn't do it because his mom had taken his tools away.

Tony had thought about sneaking down into his dad's lab once before he'd realized that he wouldn't be able to get past the security protocols. He probably could when he was bigger but right now he was too small to reach most of the buttons on the keypad and dragging a chair down the stairs would make far too much noise. That and Jarvis always seemed to know when he was trying to stir up trouble. So for now all he could do was mourn his lost tools and hope that his mom decided to give them back sometime soon.

Tony's cup rattled against the table as he sat it back down. Breakfast didn't look nearly as good now as it had when he'd come down to eat.

"You're going to need to eat at lest part of that." Jarvis said as he stepped back into the kitchen. "The Doctor said that you can't take your medicine on an empty stomach." Tony scowled. That was another thing that made him mad. The family doctor had decided that Tony needed to take medicine to help with his shakes. So now he had to swallow down a pill the size of one of his mom's pearl earrings twice a day.

They'd had to pry his mouth open and make him swallow it the first time he'd taken one and the spanking his dad had given him after for making such a fuss had been well worth it.

What he hadn't known then was that the disappointed look Jarvis gave him every time he fought was ten times worse that any spanking. It helped though that Jarvis cut the pill in half so that it's be much easier to swallow. Just because two pieces were easier to swallow than one didn't mean he liked swallowing them. Jarvis however simply offered him a smile.

"The sooner you take your medicine the sooner you can leave with your father." Tony perked up at that. He'd forgotten that he was going to work with his dad today. He was in such a hurry to take his medicine after that that he knocked his cup off of the table trying to pick it up. Jarvis simply chuckled as he leaned down to pick it up off of the floor.

"Now eat and take your medicine. We'll leave after." Needless to say Tony's breakfast looked much more appetizing.

Half an hour later both Tony and Jarvis were walking towards the garage and the various cars parked within. Tony was quick to make his way towards a less flashy, more sensible, car.

The back door opened with a soft 'click'. Tony climbed into the back seat and was buckling in as Jarvis walked by and closed the door before walking around the front of the car and climbing in himself. "Are you buckled in Sir?" Jarvis asked even though he could see Tony in the rear view mirror. Tony nodded his head. "Ready, Jarvis!" Jarvis gave the child a smile as he started the car. "Good, because your father's waiting for us."

oOo oOo oOo

Howard sipped from a glass of scotch as he flipped through the notes in front of him. They'd finally had the intended dose of serum in Tony's veins. It had taken months of shots for them to get their but they had managed it and now the real testing could begin. Now all that was left was to expose the serum to Vita rays and hope for the best. They'd debated at first about weather or not to expose Tony to a full dose of Vita rays. They'd considered starting him off with smaller doses but there was a chance that the serum wouldn't take if they didn't give Tony the required amount. They couldn't risk having to start all over again. While it wouldn't take anywhere near as long to repeat the whole process the sooner they got their results the better.

If this worked on Tony then by the end of the day their could be another super soldier. If this worked then they'd be able to replicate the process they'd used on Tony on others. If luck was on their side then by the time a new decade rolled around they'd have the beginning's of an army. An army of super soldiers to keep America safe. Just like Steve would have wanted. Howard was certain that the good Captain would have been overjoyed at not being one of a kind anymore.

There'd be people for him to interact with that he wouldn't have to worry about hurting if he got a little rough. People that'd be able to keep up with him when he ran. People that would live just as long as Steve had supposed to have lived. If he did this right then Tony would be able to keep looking long after Howard was gone. His son would be his greatest gift to the world. His greatest creation.

A sharp knock on his office door pulled Howard from his thoughts. With a sigh he sat his drink down and turned his attention to whomever was waiting for him. "Come in." he called. Making sure that he was speaking loud enough to be heard through the door. The door opened without so much as a creak and a giddy Tony ran into his office.

"Hi, dad!" Tony said as he ran up to Howard's desk.

Howard offered his son a weak smile and a "Hello" in return before he turned his attention to the man standing in his doorway.

Jarvis gave him a nod before he walked into the office as well. "Good day, sir." Jarvis greeted. "When will you need me to pick the young sir up?" At onetime Jarvis wouldn't have sounded so stiff when speaking to him. At one point in time Jarvis had called him Howard. That was before Howard started spending more time at work then he did at home. Before the experiments had started and the drinking had begun in earnest. At one point in time the two of them had been friends.

Now he suspected that the man only stayed under his employ so that he could watch over Tony. There were plenty of rich families after all that would have been more than happy to have Jarvis running their house holds. Needless to say Howard wasn't stupid enough to let the man go. Jarvis was to valuable an asset to get rid of.

"No, Jarvis. I'll be home for dinner tonight. So there's no need for you to linger." Jarvis nodded.

"Very well then." Jarvis replied before bending down to say something to Tony. Howard couldn't hear what the man said but Tony nodded his head as Jarvis pulled away and stood.

"Have a good day, Mr. Stark." With that Jarvis was gone from the room. There were several moments of silence between Howard and his son. It seemed as if neither of them knew what to say to the other. In the end it was Howard that spoke first.

"Lets get going. We have a lot too see and a lot more too do." Howard said as he stood and walked around his desk. He didn't wait for Tony to reply simply walking from his office and expecting Tony to follow along behind him. It took a few seconds but follow Tony did and with out Howard having to ask. That was good. His son needed to learn that he was going to be expected to do things without others having to ask him to do it. And now seemed like just the time for him to learn.

"Dad, where are we going?" Tony asked.

"I'm going to show you around the office and then after that we're going to go somewhere special." Tony simply grinned and chased after his father his short legs having to work twice as hard to keep up with his father's stride.

oOo oOo oOo

Tony shivered as his eyes wandered the room around him. It looked kind of like his dad's lab at home but different. He could name almost all of the things in his dad's lab but here there were only a few things he recognized. The cool metal gurney he was sitting on didn't help the unsettled feeling in his stomach either. Not only that but his hand's were shaking so bad that had he been asked to hold anything he would have dropped it immediately.

His dad was standing across the room talking to a bunch of men in white coats. They were scientists that worked for his dad. Tony knew this much because each one had a name tag pinned to their coat. Well, that and they were using a lot of big words that Tony didn't understand, at least not yet. His mom and Jarvis said that was okay though because he had lots of time to learn what the big words meant.

After what seemed like forever the group finally broke apart. The scientists went to stand around the room but his dad made his way over to stand in front of Tony.

"Do you know what we're doing here son?" He asked. Tony shook his head no. "Do you remember the stories I told you about Captain America and how he was sick when he was small."

"Yes, that's one of my favorite stories." Knowing that Captain America hadn't always been big and strong helped him feel better about his shaking.

"Well we're going to do something similar here." Howard said. His eyes flicking between his son and the machine behind him. He had to word this just right.

"Are you going to make another Captain America dad?" Tony asked his voice soft and his brown eyes wide.

Howard offered him the closest thing to a real smile that he'd ever given his son. "Yes. All those shots I was giving you were so we could help you get better. Now their just one more step left for us to take."

Tony's eyes widened in what Howard could only assume was some mixture of awe and glee. "Am I going to be big and strong like Captain America?"

"Well, not right way. You'll have to grow a little first but when you're all grown up you'll be big and strong just like Captain America. We have to do this one last thing first however and it isn't going to be nice. It's going to hurt a lot more than you think it will." Howard admitted because while there were a lot of things he'd never let his son know this was something that he had to share. He wasn't so much of a monster yet that he wouldn't warn his own child about the pain he was about to go through.

"Will this stop my shaking?" Tony asked. His voice had gone quiet and he was looking down like he was ashamed. Howard winced because he knew where that reaction had come from. He'd been so made when the serum had started making Tony shake. Mad and ashamed and he'd taken it out on his son without realizing it.

"Yes, Tony this will stop you shaking."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Howard said. this time his smile was a little less fake than the one he'd offered before. The lest he could do was promise to fix what he'd done to his child.

"Okay, dad. I trust you. You made Captain America better and I know you can make me better too."

Howard winced and swallowed the lump that had suddenly lodged itself in his throat. There was no turning back now however. They couldn't just stop now. This was something that had to be seen through to the very end and he was going to see it through come Hell or high water.

"Lean back Tony." Howard ordered' "And lay your head on the pillow." He watched as his son scooted back until he was able to do as he'd been told. Tony had never looked as small as he did now. It took Howard a moment to chase away the image of his son on the gurney. He couldn't think of Tony that way now. Right now he was just another test subject. That didn't stop the sudden pang of fear in his heart however when he had to strap his son's arm's and legs down so they wouldn't jerk during the procedure.

Penicillin came after they had Tony strapped in. Howard didn't know why it wasn't like his kid was going to move while they gave him the shot. Tony was used to shots. They'd given him the required dose of serum through shots. Why did it matter if Tony could move or not for them to give him another one? It was what came next that was really going to hurt!

"Sir." Once of the scientists said as he touched Howard's shoulder. Howard blinked and shook his head driving away the loop that he'd just about trapped himself in. "We're ready whenever you are." The scientist, Donavan, said. Howard nodded and stepped away. He kept having to remind himself that there was no going back now. He'd sold his soul to the devil and nothing would ever make that right.

' _My son's going to be the nest Captain America_.' Howard kept reminding himself. ' _This will be worth it. America needs help and I'm the only one who can provide it_.'

"Well lets get going gentlemen." Howard ordered. The sooner they got done the less likely he was to back down.

Tony whimpered in fear as the gurney drew backwards into the casket like machine behind him. It was the very same onethat Steve Rogers had gone into all those years ago, though it had been upgraded when they'd started testing again. Steven Rogers had gone into this machine skinny and sickly and come out the perfect human. The perfect creation. Now it was Tony's turn.

There was a soft series of clicking noises as the machine closed and sealed itself shut. The thick metal made it impossible to hear if Tony was still making whimpering noises or if he'd progressed to crying by now. That didn't matter however. No, all that mattered was throwing the switch and waiting. Howard spared one last glance at the coffin before making his way over to the dial that would allow him to control the vita rays. He'd taken this position for Steve and now he was going to take it for his son.

"On my mark. In three, two, one, mark." A sharp buzzing whine filled the room as Howard flipped the switch. The gauge beneath his fingers slowly started to count upwards towards the desired 100% as Howard twisted the diall. Light bright and strong emitted from the small window in the from of the machine. And if his son was screaming Howard couldn't hear him over the rush of noise flooding his ears.

He counted the seconds as they ticked by and watched as the gauge climbed higher and higher.

Fifty percent and they were halfway there

Sixty-three percent and Howard's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

Seventy-one percent and the world had narrowed down to the machine that held his son.

Eighty- four percent and everything was going to be just fine. They were almost finished.

Ninety-one percent and Howard couldn't wait to see what the serum had done to Steve.

And then finally the gauge hit 100% and the machine shut itself down.

Howard rushed forward only pausing to hit the release button. With a soft his the machine began to open. Howard's heart jumped as he moved towards the opening. He couldn't wait to see what the serum had done to Rogers.

Only it wasn't Rogers strapped to the gurney. It was his son strapped inside. Tears poured wet paths down Tony's face and blood covered his bottom lip and chin. Tony had bitten through his lip in an effort to keep from screaming. They'd been idiots and had forgotten to give him something to bite onto. Tony clothes, a pair of his best pants and shirt because he was going to work with dad, were soaked through with sweat. Tony's shirt was stained with blood that was dripping from his chin.

Howard swallowed the guilt that was eating at him and was quick to help the others unstrap his son from the machine. Tony went all to willingly into Howards arms. Howard in response drew his son close and tucked Tony's head beneath his chin. His shirt was going to be covered in blood, tears, sweat, and snot but he didn't care. All that mattered in that moment was his son.

"Tony are you alright?" Maybe it could be considered divine justice that when Tony opened his mouth to answer his father's question the first thing he did was puke all over Howard's shirt.


	2. Chapter 2

Seizure Warning. Nothing graphic.

 **Chapter 1**

January 12 1975

 _Two days after vita ray exposure and Tony still isn't any better. His symptoms thankfully are close enough to those of the flu that my wife assumed that'd he'd caught something from one of the workers. I have no plans to let her think other wise. Fever, chills, nausea, and body aches are some of the symptoms I've viewed so far. Food intake hasn't increased to to said side effects. No show increase in strength as of yet._

 _Testing for any changes will have to wait until Tony is well enough to participate. This is one thing I won't fight my wife over. Current blood tests show that the serum has successfully bonded. I'll need to keep a closer eye one out for any other after effects. There's a chance that Tony isn't telling us anything. Or at least he isn't telling me anything._

 _The tremors in his hands and arms have stopped for the time being. Tony is still taking his medication just in case. If my son fails to show any progress in the next four months well start over again._

 _It is entirely possible that we may have to keep up a steady stream of serum injections and vita ray exposure until he hits puberty. While it is clear that the serum took effects and bonded it may not be having a noticeable effect because of Tony's age and size._

 _Theories include it effecting him more as he grows. If anything the serum in his blood should at least help his immune system develop and fight off illnesses._

 _Note: Look into probability of cures for various illnesses due to serum enhanced immune system. Rogers had just about every know illness or malady before procedure and the serum cured all of them. Including any damage that had been done due to chronic illness when young._

oOo oOo oOo

Tony coughed. It was sharp and painful against his throat but he couldn't stop doing it no matter now hard he tried. He hated being sick. Daddy had told him that he was going to be like Captain America and Captain America didn't get sick. Tony frowned and pulled his blankets up higher. He had just about pulled all of his blankets all the way up his bed he had pulled on them so much. That was fine by him. The more blanket she had the deeper he could burry himself in them and forget that he wasn't like Captain America. At least not yet. His dad had told him that it might take awhile. That he still had to grow up a bit first. Tony didn't care. All he wanted right now was to be big and strong and not sick.

His stomach hurt and the lights were too bright and every sound seemed to rattle around in his head like a big church bell. He hurt so bad that he could feel it in his bones and his muscles felt like they were made of jello and not tissue. Not only that but he was board. Tony didn't want to sleep anymore. He was tired of sleeping but he couldn't get out of bed because his parents and Jarvis had told him to stay put unless he needed to pee. He'd tried reading one of his books but the words moved around on the page and made his dizzy. He'd tried watching TV too but the light and sound hurt his head. So there was nothing to do but lay in bed and be miserable.

He wished that someone could come read to him. He like it when Jarvis read his Once and Future King book out loud to him. It was soothing. Anna, Jarvis's wife liked to read him the Narnia books whenever she had the chance to come sit with him which wasn't often because she helped his mom run her charities. Anna did get to eat dinner with them a lot more than his parents did though and that was really nice.

She wouldn't be coming to visit him much though because neither she nor his mom needed to catch what he had. The last thing they wanted to do was make the people who were donating sick. Getting other people sick would be bad for business after all.

Tony sniffed and worried at his lip for a moment. The place where he'd bitten through it was getting better already and it didn't hurt anywhere near as much now as it had when he'd done it two days ago. He'd thought about pointing out the rapidly healing bite to his dad but the one time he'd tried he'd been shushed. His dad hadn't been back for him to try again. Jarvis had noticed it of course and had asked what had happened. Tony had lied and told him that he'd fallen and bit through it when he hit the ground. Jarvis had simply sighed and cleaned it.

Tony hated that he'd had to lie to Jarvis but he'd promised his dad that the test they had done was their secret. If someone found out then they'd try to keep them from making another Captain America. Tony didn't want that even if he wasn't going to be the next Captain. All he really wanted was to help people like his mom did only different. He didn't want to raise money. He wanted to build things like his dad but he wanted to build things that would help people. He didn't want to make weapons like his dad did.

Tony blinked and wiggled around under his blankets for a moment before stopping. His head was starting to hurt again. For half a moment he was tempted to get up and go find Jarvis but even the thought of moving made his feel tired. Maybe it would be best if he just got some sleep and waited for Jarvis to bring him something eat with his next dose of medicine.

oOo oOo oOo

Jarvis hummed under his breath as he gathered Tony's lunch onto a tray. He wasn't going far but it made things much easier to carry. It didn't matter that he was only going to the living room. The last thing he needed to do was drop something. He'd never hear the end of it from Anna if he did. she was bad about things like that. Once everything was settled and ready Jarvis picked up his serving tray and carried it to the living room where Tony sat bundled up in blankets watching TV. The poor child had been going stir crazy in his room so they'd come to an agreement. Tony behaved himself and Jarvis let him sit in the living room and watch tv for awhile. It didn't hurt that Anna was able to do her quilting while sitting on one of the small couches.

It was a nice cozy family type scene. It didn't matter if they weren't technically each others family. They were close enough and that was all that counted. Jarvis offered his wife a smile as he walked into the room. Anna smiled back before glancing over at Tony and then back down to her stitching.

"Lunch." Jarvis announced to the small lump sitting on the couch. Tony sniffed from within his cocoon before poking his head out and looking up at Jarvis.

"Do I have to?" he asked.

"Yes, young Sir you do have to. You'll feel better after you've put something in your belly."

Tony groaned but did as he was told. While food didn't sound very good his stomach had been grumbling for awhile. It didn't hurt that Jarvis had made him a grilled cheese sandwich and chicken noodle soup. Tomato soup however was only acceptable with lots of crackers to dip but those were too messy for eating in the living room. The last time Tony had eaten soup in the living room he'd spilled it allover the French rug his mom had brought on a trip with his dad. Needless to say his mom had been less than pleased by the stain that had been left behind.

"Will you be eating too dear?" Jarvis asked his wife. Anna looked up at her husband a smile on her lips and in her eyes.

"No. I've been working on this quilt in my spare time for months Edwin and I'm almost finished. I won't be stopping anytime soon." Jarvis smiled.

"I'll be sleeping alone tonight I take it." Tony giggled as he ate his food.

"You're more than welcome to join me in bed tonight. So long as you can find room to lie down between me and the quilt." Jarvis laughed and shook his head. He had no such plans. The bed belong to him and his wife not his wife and her quilt. The couple smiled at each other before they began to laugh. Tony joining in as well.

The couple almost never raised their voices at one another. And when they did fight they made sure that they weren't anywhere they could be overheard. One thing neither of them wanted was for Tony to hear them arguing. He heard enough arguing when it came to his parents and it wasn't always each other that Howard and Maria were yelling at. Both tended to yell when frustrated or when they weren't getting the results that they wanted.

"You two are silly." Tony informed the pair before taking another bite of his sandwich. "If you can't be silly with the people you love and who love you then there's no one else you can be silly with." Anna said as she returned to her stitching.

"Never let anyone tell you otherwise Tony." Jarvis said as he sat down on the couch beside the five year old. "The people that truly love you will never stop loving you no matter what. I want you to always remember that." Tony nodded his head. The motion would have been completely serious if there hadn't have been half a noodle sticking out of Tony's mouth.

"Promise me that you'll remember that Tony. A lot of people are going to be your friends for all the wrong reasons. Eventually however you'll find the ones that want to know you for all the reason's that are right."

"I promise, Jarvis."

oOo oOo oOo

Howard grumbled under his breath as he tied his tie. His wife and her fund raisers. They did a lot of good in the world but to him they were nothing more than a pain in the ass. There was so much that he could be doing other than going to another party. He could be working or fixing that pesky glitch with his serum. The sooner he got that fixed the sooner he could begin giving Tony new doses.

It had taken nearly a week and a half for the after effects of the first trial to work their way out of Tony's system. The aches and pains were gone along with all of the other symptoms. An added bonus was that Tony's hands and arms were barely shaking anymore. There were slight tremors on occasion but they were nothing more than brief bouts of shakiness and they never lasted more than a few minutes. The longest bout of shaking had only lasted somewhere around five minutes. A much greater improvement that he had actually first expected.

Tony's lack of shakes was about the only good thing that had come out of the first trial however. There still hadn't been any noticeable changes. While that had been expected it was still highly disappointing. Howard sighed and shook his head. The last thing he needed to be thinking of right now was his current failure in replicating the serum. For now he needed to go downstairs and make nice with a lot of people who were going to give his wife money and if he was lucky he'd get a few business deals out of it.

oOo oOo oOo

Tony squirmed and tried his best to not fiddle with the bowtie around his neck. It felt far too tight and was making him itch. So he kept picking at it hoping that he could loosen it without either of his parents noticing. So far he'd had no luck because both times he'd managed to get his bow tie loose enough that it didn't feel like it was strangling him one of his parents had noticed and tightened it again.

He was doomed to spend the rest of the night with the stupid tight bowtie around his neck. There wasn't anything he could do about it however. His dad had told him that he was far passed the age where he could be carried around by either of his parents or Jarvis or Anna.

He had to wander around and make nice with all of the strangers on his own. That annoyed him more than his bowtie. Everyone around him talked to him like he was some stupid five year old and he wasn't. He was a very smart five year old and he knew much more than anyone thought he did. Being talked down to wasn't something he enjoyed. The least the other party goers could do was talk to him like he was older than he actually was. He didn't need to be baby talked by anyone.

Tony huffed and crossed his arms as he passed by a group of older women who were wearing so much perfume that he could taste it on his tongue. He made a face once he was a safe distance away. There'd be no getting the taste out of his mouth now no matter what he tried. This was a problem he'd faced before and not even a sip of whatever drink his father had been drinking at the time had changed anything. So, now he was stuck wondering around the party with a too tight bowtie and a nasty taste in his mouth. There was no way that his night was going to get any worse than it already was.

"Hey Tony!" An extremely childish and annoying voice called out. Tony cringed and prayed that that wasn't who he though it was. His prayer wasn't answered however because the little blonde headed boy running up to him was in fact Justin Hammer. If there had been anything that could have made his night worse it was Justin Hammer. The other boys family were quite well of and much like Tony's own family they often held or went to parties and while their parents got along well Tony hated Justin. There wasn't a clear reason for why only that everything about the other boy rubbed Tony the wrong way. Everything from the boy's pale blue suit to his to big smile.

It was like the other boy was trying his hardest to get Tony to like him and failing every step of the way. Tony had a feeling that had Justin not been trying so hard Tony might have liked him more. But Justin did try too hard and everything he did was fake because of it.

"Hi." Tony replied trying his best to be polite. The last thing he wanted to do was make is dad mad because he started something with another persons kid.

"What ya do'n?" Justin asked. The lights above his head were glairing off of his glasses and for a second Tony couldn't seem to focus on anything other than that.

"Nothing." Tony answered. He didn't really count walking around and be gawked at as doing anything.

"Want to go play in your room?" Justin asked. For a second Tony considered it. It would be something to do and if he was playing with Justin then he wouldn't get in trouble for not being at the party. Playing with Justin had to be better than walking around being bored all night long. Tony didn't say yes however because for some reason the thought of Justin in his room made his stomach feel funny.

The last thing he wanted was for Justin to look through his things. Tony didn't have a lot of toy's. At least not the type of toys that had been in Justin's room the last time he had seen it. He had things like blocks and legs and model set but those were all things he could use to build other things with. Tony shuddered at the though of Justin touching his books. Books that Tony knew would be to advanced for Justin to read. It was the thought of the other boy touching his tools however that made Tony's stomach lurch. His tools were important and he didn't want Justin to so much as look at them.

"No, I'd rather stay at the party." Tony lied. Justin's mouth dropped open for a moment before he snapped it closed. A sour look crossed over the other boy's face.

"Fine, I didn't want to see your stupid room anyways." Justin growled as he stomped past Tony. Tony turned to watch the other boy go. He didn't even bother to wonder where it was that he was going. Probably to complain to his parents. Justin was many things but most of all he was a whiner and a tattle tale. He'd told his parents that Tony's had pushed him down once and gotten the suit he'd been wearing at the time all dirty. It hadn't been true of course. Tony had bumped into him and in his rush to get to Jarvis, whom had been calling him at the time, and forgotten to apologize to the other boy. He hadn't gotten into much trouble over the accident but Justin had still looked smug when his dad had pulled him aside to talk to him.

There was another reason for why he didn't like the other boy. Tony'd forgotten about that reason till just then. The sad thing was that even though the other boy wasn't in the room anymore Tony swore that he could still hear him whining. Tony sighed and began walking again. The room around him was starting to get really loud and all the different perfumes were making his stomach hurt worse than it had been at the thought of Justin in his room. The lights were starting to hurt his eyes too.

If there was ever a time to retreat for a bit it was now. If luck was on his side then he wouldn't run into anyone important on his way upstairs. Jarvis and Anna would understand his need to get away. His mom while well meaning would insist that he stayed a little longer before getting some fresh air. His dad on the other hand would insist that he stayed.

"You'll be doing this for the rest of your life son. Might as well get used to it now." His dad had told him on more than one occasion.

Tony was almost running by the time he'd made it out of the crowded rooms where the party was being held. Tony's stomach felt like it was twisted in knots and the floor beneath his feet had gone funny. It almost seemed like it was rising up and down beneath his feet. Like ocean waves rolling to shore. If he didn't hurry he was going to be sick all over the floor

"Tony!" Justin shouted as he appeared out of thin air. Unable to stop Tony slammed into Justin knocking them both to the floor. Tony coughed as the air was pushed from his lungs. It was only when Justin started laughing that Tony realized that there was something wet running down one of his legs. Justin was laughing and saying something, something mean, but that didn't matter to Tony because by then all he could focus on was how the world around him had started to shake.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"What do you mean that there's no cause? My son had a seizure and you're telling me that you can't figure out why." Howard's voice was low and furious as he spoke to the man standing in front of him. "I don't know sir. All the tests came back crystal clear." The man, who's name Howard couldn't remember at the moment, said as he tried his best to hide behind his clipboard.

"Did you run every test?"

"Twice and a few of them we ran three times just to besure and there wasn't anything. Not a clue as to why it happened." Here the man paused for a moment before speaking again his voice hesitant. "We were thinking that it might have had something to do with the serum."

Howard snorted. "And what pray tell gave you that idea?"

"Look Mr. Stark all of these things, the shaking the illness, started after we first began injecting the serum into your son. We concluded that the tremors were a side effect and the bout of illness that we could pass off as the flu was as well. Both of those we assumed were his bodytrying to change and adjust but this... we have no idea why your son had a seizure."

"Every test came back clear. So by that lodgic it would have either been a fluke or a side effect."

Howard was quiet for a moment. His mind running over every possibility. It wasn't so far fetched a thought that it was inpossible. It was only that the serum was meantto help in the end, not hinder and so far all it seemed to be doing was damaging his son instead of making him better.

"We'll need to start more invasive testing."

"Sir?"

"Nothing too serious. At least not at first. We'll start out simple at first. Work him from what should be average for achild his age and increse slowly to things that aren't age appropriate." Howard rubbed a hand across hischin as he ran scenarios in his head. Starting out small would be best and then after so long they could increase the difficulty of the testing. Things like pain endurance and a few of the other harsher things would have to wait abit longer.

Tony would need more time to develop and grow before they coulddo those. But there wasn't anything wrong with trying to encourage the serum to start working. After all the serum had always seemed to do it's best when Steve was under pressure. Everything about the man had improved when needed. So it stood to reson that if he pushed Tony's in ways similar to how Steve had been pushed the serum would start to do its job.

And the sooner they gotstarted the sooner they could move onto the more difficult testing. Inbetween the testing and the continued doses it wouldn't be long at all until they had some sort of result.

"When can we start?" Howard asked.

The man standing beside himsputtered. "Start, Sir?" He asked.

"Testing. When will Tony be fit to start testing."

oOo oOo oOo

 _January 31 1975_

 _Testing start's tommorow. I've purchased a delapidated Rhodester for the two of us to rebuild. For now this project will alow me to observe my son with minamal distraction and disturbance. While my son seems integegent enough on papaer and was able to build his own circut board, I'll admit to not currently knowing if it actually works, his skills in other things have yet to be tested. This will serve as an ideal way to judge if there have been any physical changes. After all who could blame a father for wanting spend some time with his son._

oOo oOo

Tony watched as his mother's fingers danced across the keys of her piano. There was a skill there that Tony himself had yet to master. He wanted to however. There was something calming about listening to his mom playing her piano and TOny wanted to be able to play to. It didn't hurt that Aunt Peggy had promised to get him a book with the notes to Star Spangled Man as soon as he was skilled enough to play it.

That was going to have to wait however because he had barely been ableto practice at all. HIs mom washis teacher at the moment and he could only pracice so much by himself. He'd mastered several simple song like Marry had a Little Lamb and Happy Birthday and nowhe was looking forward to leaning something harder.

The only problem was that his mom was almost always busy and she had very little time to teach him. He'd grown up with his mother speaking Italian so he had a firm graspon the language but piano was something different. Pinao was something that he had to practice and while Tony was sure thathe could teach himself with the proper books he didn't want to. Piano time was time he got to spend with his mom and there were very few things that he'd trade this time for.

Tony smiledup at his mom as the song she was playing finished. Maria smiled in return when she looked down at her son. There was nothing in her eyes but love for her child. Love and pride because no matter what she was always going to be proud of herson.

That didn't stop her from worrying however because she knew,in the way that allmothers did, that there was something wrongwith her child. Whatever that thing was had caused the seziure thenight of the party and nowshe lived in fear thats he'd turn her back and Tony would have another. The doctor had assured her that it might only be a one time thing and if it did happen again it could be years down the road or, he'd admitted, it could be a few weeks or days. It all depended on the handful of things that Maria had no control over.

It didn't stop her from worrying. And it didn't stop her from doing what she could even though there was very little she could actually do. Jarvis made sure that Tony took allhis medicene and Anna helped her husband watch over her son when she could. And she would would do whatever it was she could when she could. If it was sitting down and watching something on the television or teaching her son to play the piano then she'd do it. Every little bit helped after all.

There was more that she could teach him but those were lesson for a littlelater in his life. While he did the ocassional interview or photo shoot now Tony's wasn't in the public eye nearly as much as she and her husband were and that's the way she liked it. The doctor had told her that flashing lights (camera lights,her brain whispered) could be aseizure trigger and she wanted to avoid them as much as possible. The absolute last thing she wanted was for Tony to have a seizure infront of a crowd of reporters. They'd tear her baby boy apart.

Maria shook her head. Now wasn't the time for such thoughts. Now was the time for her to teach her son how to play a new song.

"What shall we learn today Angelo?" She asked her voice soft and loving. Tony chewed his lip for a moment before shrugging. Maria laughed and reached forwards to grab the bookof music that sat infront of them. "Well let's find something them." She said as she began to flip through the beginers book.

Pages flicked past her eyes and she was quick to take in the names of the songs they showed. Her eyes crinckled at the edges as she stopped on a page. "How about we try Yankee Doodle?"

Tony grinned and nodded. Yankee Doodle was fine with him. Then again just about anything his mom could have picked would have been just fine with him. "Now watch me play frst." Maria said as she placed her fingers on the keys and began to play. Tony watched as his mothers long slender fingers danced over the piano keys. She didn't seem to be putting any effort into her playing at all. She barely had to move at all and the keys were making pleasing sounds. Tony only hoped that he could look like that one day. Provided that playing turned out to be something he was actually good at. One never knew after all if they'd be skilled at something they were just begining to learn.

Tony was determined however to learn everything his momhad to teach him about this and then when he was good enough they'd be able to sit down and play something long and complicated and beautiful together. Being able to play as well as his mom did was something he looked forward to and he hoped that when he got that good that she was just as proud of him as he was of her.

When the songended Maria turned her head to look at her child. His eyes were still fixed on the white keys infront of him. "You're turn angelo. I want you to play whay you can and we'll work on reading the music after.

"Okay." Tony said as he took a deep breath and placed his fingers where his mom's had been when she'd first started playing. Needless to say his version of Yankee Doodle had several missed notes and sounded nowhere near as good as his mom's had. The notes hadn't flowed together like they should have but paused and started again while Tony worked on remembering the order the keys were supposed to be pressed in. In other words his attempt sounded just as a beginers should have sounded.

Maria smiled and kissed her son on the head before turning back to the piano. "Well you can't be perfect at everything right away. That's what practice is for." That having been said Maria began to go over the notes again this time pointing them out in the book sitting in front of them as well as tapping the correct keys.

By the end of the lesson Tony had all but mastered Yankee Doodle and both he and his mom were quite proud of his accomplishment. Small stepsled to bigger things after all and every new song learned was one step closer to being able to play the longer more complicated songs.

Maria bent down and wrapped her arms around her sons small body. Tony more than happily hugged his mother back a soft smile spread across his face. "You did so well angelo but I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. I have to meet with some very important people soon and I need to get ready."

"What for?" Tony asked. He wasn't asking why his mom had to leave for her meeting but what they were meetingfor. What were they raising money for this time?

"We're working on a project for housing in Brooklyn. There are building there that would make homes for many families but they need some work done before anyone could move in."

"Will you be gone long?"

"Possibly, the people I'm going to meet withcan be stuburn at the best of it may take awhile for me to talk them around to seeingthings my way." Maria grinned. "But I can do it. Anna's a great help as well."

"I'd imagine that between the two of you, you'll have all the money you need by dinner." Two heads turned towards the sound of the new voice in the room. Howard stood in the doorway dressed not in his best like usual but in clothes that sujjested he'd been wrkingwith his hands all day.

"I should hope so." Maira replied as she took a few steps forward. Howard met her halfway and pressed a kiss to his wifes cheek.

"Piano lesson over for today." An observation and not a question. "Good, because I've got something to show Tony." Howard said as he turned a grin down towards his son.

Tony's eyes lit upwith excitement. "What is it?" He asked his voice going higher in pitch.

Howard chuckled. "Go change into something you can get dirty and we'll see."

Tony ran from the room as fast as his feet could carry him. Maria looked like she was going to call out and tell her son not to run in the house but turned to look at her husband instead.

"What are you up too?" She asked worried.

"It's nothing bad Maria. I've got a project for the two of us to work on together." Howard said with a grin. "We're going to e fixing up an old car I brought."

Maria sighed in relief. Her husband was going to turn their child into a mechanic. "There are worse things the two of you could be doing together." She admitted beforestepping forward and kissing her husband on the cheek. "Don't let him skip dinner or his medicene and be easy Howard. The last thing we need is for him to have another seizure."

"Nothing's going to happen Maria. I swear on my lword as an inventor. The worst thing will be that we both get filthy and covered in oil and we have to throw what we're wearing out because the maids can't get the clothes clean."

"If your sure then." Maira sighed. If she couldn't trust her huband with her son than who could she trust? "I'll see you boys later then." She said as she turned to leave the room. She really did need to get ready. This meeting was something that she couldn't afford to be late for.

oOo oOo oOo

 _Febuary 3, 1975_

 _In the end things didn't go as planned. I managed to spen three entire hours with my son before I was called away due to a screw up at one of our factories. I was able to observe very little in the time I was alotted. No increase in strength what so ever. No, noticable increases in stamina or speed, though I would have needed longer to test for those. There however does appear to be an increase in brain activity. While my son had always been intelegent this is something else._

 _While my son has been proved to have genious level intelect he learns things even faster than I do now. He knows his tools, thats something he was quick to learn at a younger age, and was able to give me what I asked for with ease._

 _No, what amazed me was how easy it was for him to work on the engine with me. There was no confusion reguarding engine parts and the order they went in or even where they went on the engine itself. In fact he knew where things wnet and how they went there before I could even form that thought in my head. He didn't even need to look at any of the manuels I'd brought down with us. He'd only looked through them once and it was like he knew everything in them._

 _This was something he couldn't do before. Before he was able to learn how to do something but it took far more time than it seems to be taking him now. I suspect that while the serum had no visable side effects on the body it may have done more for his brain than we can know. All of his tests from before came back normal with no changes to anything._

 _The question is: if we tested him again would the results be the same?_

oOo oOo oOo

Tony hummed along with the radio as he ran his rag over one of the bolts that went in the dismantled engine to his left. Everything needed to be nice and clean before he put it back together that way none of the dirt and grime that had been there before would cause problems. He wanted the engine to run as smoothly as possible after all and a dirty engine wouldn't do that.

That was all he was going to do for now however was clean. He didn't want to put the engine back together without his dad there to do it with him. This was their project after all and Tony actually wanted to be able to say that he'd done something like this with his dad. While it wasn't a trip to the park or a game of catch it was still good. All the other boys out there could do that stuff with their dad's for all he cared. He and his fdad got to build a car together.

There was a soft 'ping' as the bolt Tony had been cleaning slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor only stopping after it had hit the other side of the engine it belonged to. Tony huffed and climbed to his feet. His hands were too big and fingers too short to get to where the fallen bolt had stopped. Hands crossing infront of his chest Tony thought about it for a second. All of the tools that could fit where he needed them to go had been locked in his dad's toolbox and all of his were under locked in his toolbox in his room. If he wanted the bolt back he'd either have to go find something else to push it out with or he'd have to move the engine.

WHile moving the engine was something Tony knew he couldn't actually do he still wanted to try. Because he was five and trying made sense in his mind. So Tony walked over to the engine found the best place to take hold and pulled with all the strength in his little body.

Nothing happened not that he had expected anything to. So it was with a sigh that Tony whiped his hands on his pants and turned to walk out of the garage. Maybe if he was lucky he'd be able to swipe a butter knife without Jarvis noticing.

 _March 1 1975_

 _Both testing and the new round of serum injections will have to be put on hold. I've gotten word from the team I have searcing for Rogers and they think that they may have managed to find him._

 _While my coluiges would rather they continue the injections I don't quite trust them enough to leave my son at their mercy. They can be worse than me in their presuits and the last thing I need is for one of those fools to give Tony a full dose of serum and stick my son back into the vita ray machine while I'm not their to monitor things._

 _Perhaps it's the hanging threat of Captain Rogersvessal being found that scares them. I don't know why. If we found his body then there'd be nothing standing in our 'd have the original serum and would be able to buplicate it and test it instead of the current version we've been working with._

 _I pray that this trip is bears fruit and that we find Rogers dead or alive._

 _May 15 1975_

 _So far our serch has been unsucessful. What the crew had thought was the ship that Captain Rogers went down in wasn't. It was nothing more than a boat that had been lost at sea long ago. While there might have been some historical signicance to the find nothing I was hopeing for came out of the discovery._

 _I'll be returning home soon. Once there testing and injections will continue. Tony will offically be turing fave at the end of the month and while I'm aware that I jumped the gun on testing I find that I feel less and less regret with every day that passes. I plan on being ablse to start injections as soon as I return home. With some luck the higher doses we'll be able to introduce to Tony's system will trigger the physical effects we've been hoping for._

 _If all goes well another round of vita ray exposure will be doable by next January. We shall do our best to keep a yearly schedule. Twelve injections, depending on how much is needed, followed by exposure to vita rays. Once a year with testing and further injections as needed._

 _I will succeed in this venture. My son will be be the next Captain America no matter how long it takes. In this neither of us can fail._


	4. Chapter 4

All violence in this chapter happens in the background. No detail is given.

 **Chapter 3**

 _August 15 1975_

 _Two more seizures in the past months and still no ecplanation. Every test and scan we've taken has shown no kind of change at all. My son's brain for all appearences remains the same. Nothing has changed. There's been nothing physical either. No inhanced strength just the strength that comes with being an active five year old._

 _I'm considering hiring a trainer for Tony. Someone to help him build up the strength in his arms and legsand to keep his body healthy. Along with the seizures it seems as if his immune systum has lost strength. Not much but enough that he's gotten the last two illnesses that have been carried into the house by various workers._

 _Getting into physical shape should also help his immune system get to where it should be. Not only that but I'm hoping that continued physical activity may trigger the physical effects that we desire. While smart my son will need every ounce of strength acalable to him if he's to take up Steve's mantel._

oOo oOo oOo

Tony shivered in the early December air as he hid behind one of the dumpsters in the nearest alley. He could hear the sounds of a fight in the street that he'd just vacated. It was Jarvis against three big men who looked like they'd stepped out of one of his comic books. Tony knew better however. These men were nothing like the stupid thugs from his comic books. These men were dangerous and they meant to take him away.

They meant to take him away and make his dad pay money for his return. Tony knew how kidnappings worked. e'd seen them on TV and read about them in his books and he wanted nothing to do with it. There was only onething keeping him from running as far and as fast as his legs could carry him. And that thing was the brick wall that lined the end of the alley.

It was too high for Tony to climb without some sort of help and there wasn't a ladder or even a garbage can anywhere near the wallfor him to climb up. So he was stuck behind the dumpster waiting for whomever wonthe fight to come and get him. Tony wasn't stupid enough to think that his hiding place was the best either. All they'd have to do would be check behind the bumpster and they'd find him.

The only plus side to his hiding spot was that he'd be hard to reach and unless he came out on his own they'd have to move the dumpster to get him. Tony had no intention of moving anywhere unless it was Jarvis that called his name. Gradually the sounds of fighting stopped all together and Tony waited crouched in his hidingplace for Jarvis to come and get him. Only Jarvis never came. The voice that Tony had been hearing for as long as he could remember never called him out of hiding.

Tony cringed and pushed himself against the wall beside him. It was all that he could do and even then it still wasn't enough.

oOo oOo oOo

Howard snarled as he storme through the front door of the mansion. Peple filled that front hall and the noisewas almost defening. "Where's Jarvis." Howard demanded as Maria darted up to him her face pale with worry.

"He's in the living room. Anna is cleaning the cuts on his face." Howard made a sharp turn and barged into the living room. Jarvis was sitting on one of the couches nest to his wife just like Maria had said. Anna was rubbing some sort of ointment over a nasty cut on the man's forehead. "What happened Edwin?" Howard asked his voice a bit softer upon taking the pained look on the other man's face.

"They came out of no where Sir. We were just getting back in the car when one of them pulled me away and threw me to the ground. I told Anthony to run the very second I realized what was happening." Jarvis pulled away fromhis wife's prodding fingers so that he could burry his face in his hands. "I couldn't stop themfrom taking him."

Howard sighed. He'd known that something like this could happen. He'd always known that this could happen and he couldn't be mad at the man that had tried so hard to protect his son. It wasn't Jarvis's fault that Tony had been taken. While skilled at fighting Jarvis could only do so much against multiple foes. A three against one fight against men twice his size was a fight that Jarvis had beendoomed to loose fromthe start. The man was just lucky that Tony's captors hadn't felt the need to put a bullet in the butler's brain.

"It's allright Jarvis. I know just who to call to help find Tony."

oOo oOo oOo

He was hiding under the bed. Not a very original idea and it wouldn't stop the men who'd taken him fromfinding him but it made Tony feel better. Made him feel safer in a situation that was so far from safe it was like trying to touch the moon. The men who had taken him hadn't hurt him any more than they'd been forced to when Tony had struggled and even though he'd broken one man's nose they'd been much kinder to him than he'd thought they'd be.

The room he was in was warm and clean and even had a small bathroom. The floor was covered in carpet that smelled old but looked clean and the bed had thick blankets and a plush pillow. There were even several books sitting on a smallplastic picnic table.

So while Tony's current situation wasn't very desierable it could have been a lot worse. The man who had left him in the room had even promised to bring himsomething warmto eat and drink after they'dcontacted his dad. Tony had a feeling that, that man inparticular hadn't wanted to do this. He looked stressed and worried and he kept picking at his clothes. It was a habbit that Tonyhimself partook in whenever he was really nervous. It was a bad habbit that he had yet to break.

Jarvis didn't seem to mind it though. Jarvis said that Tony's picking let him know when Tony was feeling anious and that was a good thing because when Tony got really anxious he shook and sometimes instead of shaking he'd sieze. And Tony hated siexing. It hurt and left him feeling funny for days after. Not to mention that it scared everyone when he siezed and he hated that even more.

He didn't like it when he worried people and Tony knew that right now he was worrying everyone.

oOo oOo oOo

Peggy Carter was awoman on amission and nothing was going to stand in her way. Tony Stark was her godson and the Devil take anyone stupid enough to think that they could keep him hidden from her. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she walked towards Howard's home office. She didn't bother knocking as she pushed open a heavy oak door and walked in. Several heads turned in her direction. before turning back towards their work. Sharp eyes took in Jarvis's battered face and the lines of worry etched into Maria's fair skin. "Peggy." Howard said as he got to his feet and moved to greet her."Howard. Any news?"

"None." Howard shook his head. "I expect that they'll be calling any time now to make their demands. It's just a metter of when. Where are the others?"

"Out looking at the scene of the crime of course."

"Your husband whould have been useful Peggy. His specialty is communications after all."

Peggy rolled her eyes and ignored Howard's harsh words. He was just worried and he had every right to be. She'd have been worried if it was her child that had been taken for ransom.

"We'll find Tony, Howard. Now if you don't mind I need to talk to Edwin." She didn't wait for Howard to respond before she walked over to where Jarvis and his wife were sitting. The pair looked even more worried than Howard did. Peggy offered the man a kind smile as she sat down in the chair that Anna had vacated after she'd finished cleaning her husband's face.

"I need you to tell me eveything Edwin and I do mean everything. Every detail no matter how big or small."

Jarvis's hand tightened around his wife's as he took a deep breath and began talking.

ooo

The men who had taken him were fighting. What exactly they were fighting about Tony didn't know but they sounded mad. The type of mad that his dad fired people over. The type of mad that made people hurt people.

Tony winced and tried to scoot further under the bad as the voices came closer to the room he was in. He knew that if they were as mad as he thought they were his hiding place wouldn'thelp him but it made him feel a little bit better. Not that Tony was feeling all that great to begin with. He'd missed taking his medicene and his hands were starting to shake and Tony had a feeling that it wouldn't just stop with his hands. The shakingwas making it hard to pick at his sleve not that there was much to pick at anymore. All the fuzzies on his shirt were almost gone.

The door to his room banged openseconds after the shouting was at it's loudest and Tony cringed and pressed himself as close to the wall as he could. It didn't stop the shouting man from reaching under and dragging him out by his foot and sling himup under his arm. Tony squirmed but wasn't able to free himself. The man had more muscle on himthan someof the men who worked for his dad doing hard labor.

"Your father doesn't seemto be willing to pay usfor your safe return."The man growled. "So we're going to give him a little incentive."

"Don't do this, Dick." The nervous man said as he stepped forward. "We don't have to hurt the boy to get our point across."

The man called Dick narrowed his eyes. "You don't understand. You don't know what it's like to have a member of your family go missing like my sister did."

"Your sister died of cancer and was cremated. She didn't want to have a funeral. Your family recieved all the paperwork. You even hired a lawyer and he said it was all lagitamite."

Dick shook his head and squeezed Tony tighter. "She wouldn't have done that. Stark did something. I know he did. She volentiered for some sort of project there and it killed her." Dick looked down at the frightened child under his arm. His eyes were filled withpain and for amoment Tony thought that maybe he didn't really want to be doingthis either.

"It's not too late. We can stilltake the kid back. All we'd have to do would be drop himoff down the street from the Police Station. No one would be the wiser."

Dick seemedto think about it for a moment before he shookhis head. "No, Stark needs to understand the pain he causes the people around him. If it takes us keeping his son then so be it. The rich bastard needs to be tought a lesson."

The nervous man sighed and shook his head. "At least let me carry the kid Dick. You're in no state of mind to watch over the kid and the last thing we need is for you to hurt him on accident." Dick seemed to think about it for amoment before he nodded and passed Tony over to the other man.

The nervous man sighed in relief as he took Tony and propped him against his hip. "Behave and nothing bad will happen okay."

Tony nodded. He knew whenhe could act out and when he couldn't and right now was oneof those times that he didn't need to cause trouble. Trouble now would only end with him getting hurt and he didn't want that. So he let the man hold him and went back to picking at the fuzzies that were left on his shirt. If he could just keep calm then everything would be okay.

Two hours later and things weren't okay. Things were very not okay. The men were fighting again and now the third had goined in. Tony knew that they were fighting over what to do with him. They'd called his father every hour on the hour since he'd been taken and every time they'd asked for money his dad had turned them downandhung up the phone.

Tony like to think that his dad wasn't paying because he was on his way to get him. His dad was smart enought to track where the phone calls were coming from. Not only that but he'd fought Nazi's with Captain America and there was no way that a bunch of low lifes like the men who had taken him could keep his dad from rescuing him.

There was a small part of Tony however that worried that his dad wasn't paying the ransum because he didn't want Tony anymore. Sure Tony was smart but other than that he didn't really have anything else to brag about. He wasn't tall and he wasn't strong or fast. The shots that were supposed to make him like Captain America hadn't worked and Tony was certain that it was because he wasn't good enough. How could he be just like Captain America when he wasn't anything like Steve Rogers?

"Maybe we should just kill the brat." The third man said as he turned to look at Tony. His eyes weredark and mean looking and they worried Tony far more than Dick or the nervous man did. Tony curled intohimself and squeezed his eyes shut as the third man walked over. "I mean what good is this little runt to a man like Stark? I'd have dumped the kid after he was born if this was my son."

"He's supposed to be just as smart as his old man." Dick said, "Tough I'm begining to doubt that. He hasn't even tried to escape yet."

Tony hadn't and for a good reson. It was December and the temature at night was close to freezing. Tony hadn't been dressed for that kind of weather when he'd been taken and he was even less prepared for the cold since the men had taken his coat, mittens, and shoes. Not only that but Tony didn't know where they were. Why would he leave and rsik getting lost in the cold when he might have been in the middle of knowwhere?

"What say you brat? Why haven't you tried to escape?"

Tony glanced up at the man kneeling infront of him. He looked even meaner up close than he had when he'd been on the other side of the room.

"Not stupid. I'd freeze if I went outside like this."

The man laughed at his response. "That's very true brat. That's why I had them take your things. I'm tempted to let you go just so I can see how far you get."

Tony gulped. The man sounded serious and the last thing Tony wanted was to be stuck outside in the cold.

"Don't do that Joe. Don't torment the kid. He didn't do anything wrong. It's not his fault that his father's an asswhole who won't pay the ransom." The nervous man said as he walked towards them.

Joe snorted and turned to look at the other man. Tony still didn't know his name and he hadn't bothered asking. He doubted that Dick and Joe were the other men's real names and he doubted that the nervous man would give him his read name either. He'd just have to wait and see if either ofthe others said it.

"Why not? He could use a little toughing up. It'd be just like old times only this time Granddad wouldn't be standing in the house snearing at us from the window."

The nervus man tensed for a second before shaking his head. "We did this because Dick wanted to know what really happened to his sister. Instead of asking for information when we call all you ask for is money."

"He's gotta point you know?" Dick growled. "This whole thing has gone all screwy because you couldn't keep your greed in check."

It didn't take much for Joe to pull away from Tony and storm over to where Dick was standing. The two men scowled at eachother and seconds later they were fighting again. The nervous man placed himself infront of Tony as if afraid that his couleages would turn towards him in their anger. Tony hoped that they didn't.

When it became clear that the Dick and Joe weren't going to inclide the two of them in their spat the nervous man turned anround and crouched down infront of Tony.

"I'm sorry that we took you. Dick's been my best friend for years and I couldn"t let him do this alone. Joe just kinda forced himself into the whole thing."

Tony blinked his eyes wide with surprise. He hadn't expected any of the men that had taken him to apologize for it. "When can I go home?" He asked feeling brave enough to talk to the man infront of him.

"I don't know. Things didn't turn out like we had planned and now things are difficult. I'm going to try and get you back toy our parents soon though. It'll be better if you leave soon."

"Better for him maybe but not better for us."

Both Tony and the nervous man turned so that they were looking at Joe. The man stood before them fists bloodied and arms crossed. He look every bit as mean as Tony thought he was. "Do I need to have a talk with you too Tom? Because we can do that and it'll go the same way my talk with Dick went."

Tony winced and tried to peek around the men standing infront of him. He couldn't see Dick and he wasn't sure if he was worried or thankful for that. Something told him that Dickwas worse off then Tony like to think. While the man had taken him away from Jarvis he could understnad why and Tony hoped that he wasn't hurt too badly. Joe on the other hand Tony wouldn't have felt bad for if a semitruck ran him over with all eighteen wheels.

Joe he didn't like one bit. Joe scared him in a way that he couldn't explain. Joe made him want to run and hide and stay put and hope he was being good enough to not draw attenton to himself.

Tom winced as Joe reached out and touched his shirt. "I'm going to take Tony boy into another room and we're going to have a talk." Joe said his voice calm and his face blank."And while I do that you're going to take Dick and get him cleaned up because in the next half hour were going to give Howard Stark one last call and if he doesn't answer we're going to kill his kid and dump him in the river."

 **oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo**

This is all I have for the time being. Sorry. Maybe the rest of the kidnapping will click into the preper places in my head soon.


End file.
